Cricket: Sledging not planned, just natural - Pattinson

James Pattinson celebrates the wicket of Graeme Smith during the first test in Brisbane. Photo / Getty Images

Australia's cricketers don't go in with a plan to sledge, it just comes naturally, says aggressive paceman James Pattinson.

The 22-year-old quick says the perception Australia plan to ruffle South African batsmen with verbal attacks is wrong.

"It's not really spoken much about in the inner sanctum of the team," Pattinson told reporters on Monday.

"It's just one of those things that happens when you get out there.

"If you can see a way in by sledging someone when you're out there then definitely, by all means it's probably a good thing.

"But one thing we don't do is purposely go out there and say we're going to get in the ear of this batsman or that batsman."

Pattinson said his sledging of Proteas captain Graeme Smith in the drawn series opener in Brisbane wasn't premeditated.

The fast bowler claimed Smith's wicket in the second innings after a sustained verbal attack.

"I don't whether it was the sledging because Smith is a pretty cool customer and has been around for quite a while, whether it was just good bowling or whether it was something else," he said ahead of the second Test in Adelaide starting Thursday.

"The one thing going into Brisbane, we didn't have a plan to go out there and give them stuff.

"When you go out there and purposely try and do stuff like that, then sometimes it does backfire. It's all about reading the conditions, reading what is happening in the game and then going from there."

Pattinson claimed five wickets in the Brisbane Test from 53 overs, with no Australian bowling more in the match.

But the Victorian, who missed chunks of past series with injury, said his body held up fine amid the heavy workload.

"I have got no soreness in my body so I want to keep playing. I don't want to get rested," he said.

"I suppose there will come a time when I have a high workload and it looks like I will probably need to get rested, as we have spoken about.

"I put the faith in the medical staff's hands and if they think it's a good idea for me to get rested for one Test then so be it."